SHANDAKEN >> Admitting the matter has had a chilling effect on his relationship with Ulster County Executive Mike Hein, town Supervisor Rob Stanley got just enough votes Monday to pass a resolution that calls for an end to the legal battle between the county and the Catskill Mountain Railroad.

Voting 3-2, with Faye Storms and Tim Malloy opposed, the Shandaken Town Board approved a measure called “Resolution concerning development and use of the Ulster and Delaware Railroad right-of-way.” Voting yes were Stanley and Councilmen Alfie Higley and Vince Bernstein.

The resolution was reworded from an earlier version that called for the county to stop its legal efforts to evict the railroad from the tracks so that a recreational trail could be established. That version called for the railroad, which operates two scenic train rides on the tracks, to coexist with the trail.

The approved version asks that “all involved parties immediately cease their legal efforts and sincerely enter into discussions to work out a solution agreeable for all parties involved … and that Ulster County representatives work to ensure continuing operations of current tourism railroad activities, especially from Phoenicia to Boiceville....”

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The railroad offers rides in the Phoenicia and Kingston areas. It has a lease to use the county-owned tracks through the end of 2016, but the county has taken legal action to evict the railroad, claiming the railroad hasn’t lived up to some terms of the lease.

Storms said she was uncomfortable supporting a measure that took sides in a litigation matter and that the Town Board needed more information on the matter before taking a position.

Malloy agreed. “I don’t even know why this resolution is in front of us,” he said.

Stanley, who championed the resolution, said it pertains only to what might happen in Shandaken, not in other communities through which the tracks pass.

He also said his effort to push through the resolution has strained his relationship with Hein but that he believes they will be able to work together in the future, as they have in the past.

Monday’s vote followed a 90-minute public comment period during which both rail and trail supporters spoke.

Those in support of the resolution complained the trail plan being advanced by the county was being forced on town residents and that the county’s plan, while allowing the railroad continue operating in the Phoenicia area, ultimately will kill the railroad because it does not allow for expansion.

Some speaking against the resolution noted the railroad has had 30 years to expand but has failed to do so.

Chichester resident Brian Powers disagreed with the resolution because he felt the town had no business taking a position.

“You’re adopting a private agenda as public policy,” he said.

The railroad says it has spent $65,000 so far on the legal fight, and the group’s treasurer last week estimated the county has spent more than $100,000, though that amount could not be confirmed.